Improvement in machines for trussing barrels



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Letters Patent No. 109,854, dated December 6, 1870.

IMPROVEMET IN MACHINES FOR TRUSSiNG BARRELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it 'may concern Be it known that I, PETER vWELCH, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and improved Machine for Trussing Barrels, Casks, 86e. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description ofthe same, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure. l is a' front elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a vert-ical Acentral sectionlof one of the stands or rests.

vFigure 3 is a side elevation of the machine.

Figure 4 is a'det-ail view, in section, of the joint of the trussing arms. i

The same letter marks the same part wherever it occurs. e

The nature of the invention consists in improvements in the mode of constructing and operating the trussing-arms, in the construction and adjustment of the trussing-iingers, and in the construction and adjustment ofthe stands or rests which support the lower set of trussing-hoops, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others to malte and use my improved trussing machine, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the accompanying drawing, whereon- A indicates the frame of the machine, which supports the operative parts. The top of this frame coincidesin level with the floor of the room in which the operation of trussing is carried on, the machinery below that level beingplaced for convenience in a lower Transversely across the lower part of frame A runs the main horizontal shaft B, supported and turning in journal-boxes B attached to the side flaming.

On shaft B are placed three pulleys, G, I), and E, the middle one of which, C, is fast, and the side ones, D and E, are loose. These pulleys are driven by two belts, not shown, one crossed and the other open, from a suitable drum.

The object of this arrangement is to reverse the motion ot' shaft B at will, by shifting either belt from its appropriate loose pulley to the fast vpulley On shaft B is a worm, XV, which gears into and drives a worm-wheel, W', attached to the lower end of an upright threaded-shaft, F. This Vshaft is stepped on a cross-piece of the frame, as shown, and its up-l per end is received and turns in a proper socket on the bottoni of the bed-plate P.

A screw-thread is cut upon shaft F, and a large nut, G, plays up and down upon it in obedience to it rovolutions.

The nut G has two lateral arms, K K, whose ends .receive and play vertically upon the guide-rods It It, which allow vertical motion to the nut, but prevent its turning in a horizontal plane,

To the nut G are pivoted .the lower ends of the-four jointed trussing arms H H1, Stc. Each of these arms consists of two parts, pivotedtogether at o, fig. 4.

The lower brauch ofthe arm is straight, but the upper branch has a slight bend in it, as shown in fig. 4

At the angle :l of Athis bend it is pivoted to a fork ou the end of screw S, working in the-end 'of crossarn'i X.

The cross-arms X arc united at the center, where they receive .and move loosely upon the Aupright shaft I, and rest upon a fork, f, in the` short arm of lev-cr L, having its fulcrumt'in the upper end of rod J, and

operated by the treadle-rod T, to which it is pivotcd Y By pressing down this treadle with the foot, the op- The upper branch of each of the trussing-arms passes up through a slot inthe bed-plate I, and to it are attached the truss'ing-fingerst, which are held in place by collars and set-screws, as shown.

vThe face of the upper end of each arm and the back 0I" each trussing-ngeris ratcheted, to give a firm union tothe arm and finger when pressed together-by the set-screw o'. 4

The trussing fingers t are made to correspond in number and position with the truss'hoops 71, upon which they operate.

Upon the top of frame A rests the bed-plate P, having slots in it,'through which the trussing-arms, H, &c., pass up. 1

Grooves in the faceof this plate receive the baseplates of the stands or rests "N, which slide in and out in said grooves, and can' be fixed in any desired position by means of the set-screws z, which pass up I through slots iu the plate Rand have nuts on their upper ends, as shown in iig. 2. By this' arrangement the restsN can be adjusted to the proper position for the reception of barrels or casks of any size that it may be desired to truss.-A

Fingers x fr, similar to those on the upper ends .of the arms Il, 85e., are attached in the saine manner to the rests N, as shown in fig. 2, and serve assupports to the lower truss-hoops, as shown in The operation is as follows The casks, having been set up in the trussing-hoops in the usual way, are introduced, one by one, into the machine, the rests N beiugso adjusted that the lower set of truss-hoops rests upon the teeth x. By applying the foot to the treadle T, and pressing it down, the arms H H1, 85o., are thrown i n towards thecask,

tion reversed.

until their trussing-ngerst engage with the upper`- edges ofthe upper set of truss-hoops.

The proper driviugbelt is then shifted onto the fast pulley C, and revolution imparted to theshaft B, and thence to shaft F, which'drives down nut G, and with it draws down the arms H H1, 85e.

By this operation the upper set of truss-hoops is driven down upon the Cask, and the lower set is driven up by the settling of the cask between the rests N' N,-

hc. Thus all the hoops are driven by one operation. Vhen the hoops have been driven as far as required, the opposite belt is shipped onto pulley C, and its mo- This releases the downward pressure upon the upper hoops, and the arms I-I H, 85e., fall away from the cask, andV allow it to be removed and replaced by another, while the nut G runs up shaft F, and the machine is ready for arepetition of the operation.

li' it is desired to truss only one-half of the hoops at a time, the rests N may be drawn back and the lower head of the barrel placed directly on the bed-plate P.

Having thus fully described my invention, XVhat I claim, and desire t'o secure by Letters Ia-tent, s-

1. The compound trussing-arms H H1 H2 H3, composed ot two branches pivoted together atc, and adjusted by the screw S, in the manner described.

'2. The trussing-ingers t and x, constructed as described, and united to the trussing-arms and rests by mtcheted surfaces, collars, and set-screws, iu the mauner and for the purpose specified. l

3. The rests N, sliding and adjusted in grooves in the bed-'plate P, in the manner set forth, and provided with the trussiug-fingers :c as stated.

4. The combination ofthe treadle T, lever L, crossarms X, and trussing-arms AH H1 H2 1-1, in the manner and for the purpose described.

5.v The combination of the worm W, driven as stated,

'with the worm-wheel W', threaded-shaft F, nut G, and arms H Hl I:`[2 H,in the manner and for the purpose set forth. y

The above specification of my invention signed and witnessed at Washington this 21st day of June, A. D.

, PETER WELCH.

NVitnesses A. C. BRADLEY, Guns. F. STANsBURv. 

